My Department is committed to ensuring that Civil Service recruitment is fair, accessible and proportionate, while allowing recruiters to design the processes to identify the best candidates for each role. Our approach supports consistent standards without imposing unnecessary prescriptive requirements.
Although hybrid interviewing has an important role in widening access, mandating its use in all circumstances removes the ability to determine where an in-person engagement is most appropriate, for example, where meeting a candidate face-to-face provides a fuller understanding of their skills, leadership style, or professional presence.
Recruiters should have an appropriate flexibility to choose the format most suitable for the role and candidate cohort, offering hybrid or remote options where helpful, while retaining the ability to request in-person attendance where this is justified, proportionate and clearly communicated. This flexibility must be within the requirements as set out in the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 and the Commission for Public Service Appointment's Code of Practice for Appointment to Positions in the Civil Service and Public Service.
